Was a Beaumont father stabbed to death because of a Mother's Day gift?

By Amy Moore

Updated 9:25 am, Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Photo: Guiseppe Barranco, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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A Mother's Day argument escalated into the fatal stabbing of Clifton Barkin, 22, allegedly by Paige Parkerson at a home on Pope Street early Monday morning. Parkerson was taken to the police station for questioning and was later arrested for first degree murder. Photo taken Monday, May 14, 2012
Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise less

A Mother's Day argument escalated into the fatal stabbing of Clifton Barkin, 22, allegedly by Paige Parkerson at a home on Pope Street early Monday morning. Parkerson was taken to the police station for ... more

Photo: Guiseppe Barranco, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Paige Parkerson. Provided by Beaumont Police Department.

Paige Parkerson. Provided by Beaumont Police Department.

Photo: The Enterprise

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Clifton "JR" Barkin and Paige Parkerson. Photo from Facebook.com

Clifton "JR" Barkin and Paige Parkerson. Photo from Facebook.com

Photo: The Enterprise

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Photo from Facebook.com.

Photo from Facebook.com.

Was a Beaumont father stabbed to death because of a Mother's Day gift?

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Evetta Wright said she was puzzled when her phone began to ring early on Monday with an incoming call from her son.

Just a few minutes before, around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, she'd dropped Clifton "JR" Barkin off at his Pope Street house. Wright said she had driven him to Walmart to buy flowers and a Mother's Day card for Paige Parkerson, the mother of Barkin's two small children.

When Wright finally answered the phone, she said it was Parkerson on the line.

"Paige told me she killed JR, that he was dead," Wright recounted on Monday through sobs.

Wright said she sped back over to her son's house, but it was too late.

Barkin, 22, died just after midnight Monday in the backyard of his yellow rental house. He had been stabbed several times. Wright believes Barkin's death was a result of his gift not measuring up to its recipient.

Parkerson, 20, is being held at the Jefferson County Jail and is expected to be arraigned and formally charged today with first-degree felony murder. Police and Wright have identified Parkerson as Barkin's fiancé.